Angel in Black
by Akozu Heiwa
Summary: Nine years ago, in a mysterious attack on London, Sirius Black became an angel. Now, as he heads off to Hogwarts, things around him start to change. Friendships form, bonds sever, and a new evil lurks in every shadow. Can an angel of light survive in a world being enclosed in darkness?
1. Prologue

Dark clouds swirled above the buildings of London; angered shouts and painful screams rang through the air. Twenty-four year old Walburga Black stood with her husband, searching wildly for her lost son. Orion clutched their other son, Regulus, tightly, as he whimpered and hid his face from the multicolored lights streaking across the field. Panic was everywhere; muggles screaming, wizards duelling. Nobody knew exactly what was going on.

Suddenly, Walburga heard an all-too familiar shout, and her blood ran cold as she spotted the young wizard from which it had emanated. Her son. She raced forwards, wand out, cursing anyone who got in their way; wizard or muggle, attacker or defender. The world slowed to a standstill as Walburga saw a cloaked wizard point his wand at her eldest son. Sirius was sobbing, but his eyes found hers and lit up with a new hope.

"Mummy!" He cried, desperately reaching towards her. The cloaked wizard caught sight of her, and his lips twisted into a sadistic smirk. Walburga barely heard the words next spoken.

"_Avada Kadavra!_"Walburga could only scream in horror as the green light streaked toward the two year old. The curse made contact and Walburga finally broke free of her invisible bonds. She sent a nasty curse towards the man- the _murderer_ who'd just attacked her child, and raced over and pulled Sirius's still body into her arms.

The panic and crowds were too much; Walburga quickly apparated away, finding herself in a familiar field behind their house. Orion would know where she'd gone. She rocked back and forth, clutching Sirius tightly to her body. She glanced down, taking in her son's pale features and letting out a choked sob when her eyes landed on his cloudy grey eyes, lifeless and dull.

"Sirius," she whispered. "Oh, my baby... my poor baby!"

A crack sounded through the field, and the sound of footsteps. Walburga risked a glance upwards to find Orion running to her, clutching little Regulus in his arms. Regulus stared at his older brother with a strange sort of wonder, as if trying to figure out why Sirius was staring at the sky and not squirming around like he always did.

"No," Orion dropped to his knees beside Walburga, letting Regulus out of his grasp. Regulus crawled over and innocently grabbed his brother's hand.

"Siwi?" He asked, staring at Walburga with wide, dark eyes. "Siwi pway?"

"No, baby, Siri can't play now," Walburga mumbled gently, trying to wipe the warm, salty tears from her cheeks, to no avail. "Oh, my poor, poor child..."

Walburga pulled Sirius closer, closing his eyes, and letting her tears fall into his dark hair.

"Please, bring him back," she whimpered. "Please, I'll do anything. Just bring my baby back to me. Please..."

Walburga felt a hand, strong but gentle, on her back. She didn't bother opening her own eyes; she knew it was Orion. All of a sudden, a light glow penetrated her eyelids, and slowly grew. Walburga felt Orion jerk away suddenly and gasp in surprise, and she let her eyes flutter open.

Sirius was glowing.

And floating away from her.

Walburga clutched Sirius tighter, but to no avail, as the boy had been yanked out of her grip as if by an external force. Walburga watched fearfully as her baby drifted away from her, glowing and rotating slowly in the warm, English summer air. Slowly, the glow migrated backwards and took an odd shape on the still boy's back. Wings. The light dissipated, and in its place were two brilliant white angel wings.

Walburga took in a sharp breath as Sirius's stormy grey eyes fluttered open to stare into hers. He looked around in confusion at first, all whilst floating downward. When his feet hit the ground, he stumbled, and his wings instinctively wrapped around his body to brace him from the fall. All four Blacks stared in wonder at the feathery appendages.

"Mummy?" Sirius asked tentatively. "Why've I got wings?"

**A/N: Hello all! I'm not dead! Just feeling a bit ignored at the moment, but you know... So, I've started a new story that isn't as cliche as the one I just started! This one I will hopefully stick with. Sadly, my laptop has- er- **_**died**_** so I won't have quite as much time to work on my stories... I don't own Harry Potter, and I look forward to your feed back! :)**


	2. Diagon Alley

"YEEEAAAHH!" Eleven year old Sirius Black raced through the sky with great agility; over fifty feet below him, his mother and brother stood watching enthusiastically. Regulus was cheering him on, and, whenever Sirius was close enough, begging the angel to pick him up. Walburga was watching nervously, as if ready to catch him if he fell. He did another magnificent loop, laughing gleefully.

"Sirius! Be careful!" Walburga shouted tensely. Sirius had noted that she'd been rather stressed as of late; in fact, she hadn't stopped worrying ever since his Hogwarts letter came.

"I'm _fine_, Mum!" Sirius laughed, dipping low to the ground a stumbling into a landing. "Ugh, got to work on this landing."

"Ooh, can't I take a ride!?" Regulus whined, stamping his foot and pouting at Sirius. Sirius chuckled, and pushed some of his windswept black hair out of his eyes.

"Maybe after lunch, Reg," said Sirius, grinning. "I'm _hungry_!"

"Actually," said Walburga sharply. "We will be making a trip to Diagon Alley this afternoon to pick up Sirius's school things."

"Yes! I can't wait to go to Hogwarts!" Sirius cheered, launching himself into the air to do another joyful loop. "I'll make tons of friends- what house d'you think I'll be in, Mum? Maybe Ravenclaw- or Gryffindor!"

"You'll be a Slytherin," his mother declared shortly, leaving no room for argument. Sirius rose an eyebrow, but shook his head. "Now, put away those wings. I can't have you breaking anything in the house, and you certainly can't be seen with them in Diagon Alley."

"Aw, Mum," whined Sirius, giving her his best puppy-dog eyes. "At least 'till lunch?"

"Absolutely not," Walburga snapped. "You won't be able to have them out all day at Hogwarts anyway."

"Fine," Sirius huffed. His mother had been rather snappy, as well, especially once he mentioned a house other than Slytherin. The thing was he didn't _want_ to be in Slytherin. He _wanted_ to be brave, smart, loyal... but not cunning. He hated Dark Magic- and perhaps that was because of his status as an angel- but his family seemed to worship it. He loved his parents and cousins, but sometimes they were a bit... eccentric.

With no more audible complaint, Sirius concentrated for a moment and his wings vanished and his white tunic returned to what it had been before- boring, black dress robes. He liked white better than black.

"Siri, can you take me flying later?" Regulus begged. "Maybe tomorrow?"

"Absolutely tomorrow!" Sirius grinned, throwing an arm over his little brother's shoulder. He shot a furtive glance at his mother, and she nodded tightly. "Definitely!"

"Thank you, Siri!" Regulus beamed. "You're the best brother _ever_!"

"Why thank you," Sirius smiled cheekily. "The same could be said for you, dear Regulus."

"Really?" Regulus looked up at him with wide, obsidian eyes. Sirius chuckled, and ruffled his little brother's dark hair. Regulus ducked away indignantly, but he was, nonetheless, grinning. "No fair, Siri!"

"All's fair in love and war, Reggie!"

* * *

"Why don't you go look at the animals, while I get your schoolbooks?"

"Kay, Mum," True to her word, Sirius's mother had taken him to Diagon Alley as soon as his father had gotten home after lunch. Sirius was mostly looking forward to buying two things: an owl and a wand. So when his mother suggested that he hang out with the animals, he was all for it. The best part? Animals loved him.

He stared around at the cages upon cages of owls, undisturbed until the tinkling of a bell signified that another customer had entered. Sirius didn't plan to pay the new customer any mind until-

"Hello, there, mate!" Sirius whipped around to face a brown-eyed, bespectacled boy whose messy black hair stuck out in all directions. The boy grinned cheekily and sauntered over, sticking out his hand for Sirius to shake. Sirius took it cautiously, and the boy excitedly shook his hand up and down. "Name's James Potter! I'm a first year- are you?"

"Er- yes," said Sirius, as James Potter relieved his hand from its captivity. "I'm Sirius Black."

"Nice to meet you!" James exclaimed enthusiastically. "My mum's out buying my schoolbooks, and Dad's gone to get us all ice cream! Wanna join us? Mum's _insisted_ that I try to make friends."

"Oh! Sure, I guess," Sirius smiled, and James beamed. "Can I buy my owl first though?"

"Oh, yes, I guess I should too!" James laughed. "Alright, let's do that first, Sirius. Say, where are your parents?"

"My mum's off buying my schoolbooks as well, and Dad's at home with my little brother," Sirius explained. "I should probably tell Mum where I'm going..."

"By all means! We'll stop on the way to Florean Fortescue's," agreed James. He pointed to an ashen owl in one of the cages. "What d'you think of that one? I'd like to buy it."

"It's a nice-looking owl," Sirius nodded absently, his attention drawn to a magnificent blue-black owl in the corner of the shop. It turned its wide, amber gaze towards Sirius, and Sirius felt a tiny smile playing across his lips. "Hey, James. What do you think of _that_ owl?"

James glanced up at the blue-black owl, and shrugged. "I like Ash better, y'know, but that's just me being biased towards my own owl."

"You've already named it?" Sirius snickered. "You haven't even bought it!"

"Oi! Shopkeeper!" James shouted. A middle-aged, balding man came over to them. "Can I buy that owl?"

"Of course," the shopkeeper smiled, pulling down the cage. "That will be ten galleons."

James handed over the money, and the shopkeeper handed over the owl, newly christened Ash. Sirius motioned to the blue-black bird.

"May I buy that one?" The shopkeeper nodded, and grabbed the owl. Sirius passed him ten galleons, and took the owl in his hands. He and James thanked the man, and left the shop.

"What're you gonna name him?" James asked immediately. "Well?"

"Midnight," Sirius finally decided. He stopped in front of a shop. "Hang on, I see my Mum, be right back."

Sirius raced inside, and quickly located his mum, at a bookshelf in the back.

"Sirius, hello," she greeted. "Did you buy an owl?"

"Uh-huh. Um, can I go get ice cream with a friend, I-"

"Of course you can," Walburga agreed absently. "Meet me back at Ollivander's by five so we can get your wand. Do you have your money?"

"Yes ma'am! Thanks so much!" Sirius gave his mother a quick hug, before running back out to James. "Mum said yes!"

"Great! Let's go!" James grabbed Sirius by the arm, and half-dragged him all the way to Florean Fortescue's, and up two people Sirius guessed automatically were his parents. The man looked almost exactly like James, right from the extremely messy black hair to the circular glasses. The only difference were the eyes; where James had hazelly chocolate eyes, his father had ocean blue eyes. It was obvious James had inherited his eyes from his mother, whose sparkling brown eyes seemed to be the only thing she had in common with her son. Her light orange hair stood out ever so slightly against her pale skin, almost as pale as his own. But then, he had a good reason for having pale skin.

"Mum, Dad, this is Sirius. Sirius, this Mum and Dad!" James introduced, before plopping down in a chair next to his parents. "Sirius is my new friend- he's a first year too!"

"Hello," Sirius greeted shyly. "I'm Sirius Black."

"I'm Jacob Potter," James's father replied. "I believe I've met you father before."

"And I'm Carol," added James's mother. "You might have seen me at St. Mungo's, if you've ever been."

"I haven't," Sirius admitted. "Mum says I heal naturally- plus, the worst I've done is break my arm while flying."

"Oh!" James grinned suddenly. "Do you play Quidditch!?"

"I've never tried," Sirius shrugged. "I'd like to, though. Mum doesn't like brooms much."

There was an awkward silence in which neither Sirius nor the Potters could think of anything to say.

"Why are you still standing up, dear? Sit down, sit down," Carol exclaimed, standing up and pulling out a chair, beckoning for Sirius to sit in it. "What flavor ice cream do you like, dear? Jacob and I will go buy it."

"Oh, no, no! I'll pay, don't worry-"

"Nonsense! We'll pay, dear," Carol smiled warmly. "I'm so glad James has made a friend; he's usually so _shy_ around others!"

"I'm not shy!" James cried, his face going bright red. "I just- I'm friends with Frank Longbottom!"

"Dear, that doesn't count," Carol chuckled. "You see him maybe two times a month, and you barely talk! Not to mention, he's a year older than you."

"So?"

"We're just glad you've made a friend your age, that's all," Jacob laughed. "So- ice cream?"

* * *

Sirius hung out with the Potters nearly all day. He went with James to Madam Malkin's to get robes, and James dragged them all to the prank shop. Sirius didn't buy anything; his mother would have a fit if he came home with his pockets full of Dungbombs and Frog Spawn Soaps. Carol Potter pursed her lips when James bought two bags of prank items, but didn't say anything. Jacob simply encouraged him, earning a disapproving look from his wife.

By five, Sirius wasn't sure he _wanted_ to leave. The Potters were great fun, in his opinion, so different than his family. While he loved his parents, he often disapproved of some of their ideals and practices. His mum blamed it on the fact he was an angel, and therefore instinctively against anything that wasn't pure good. Sirius disagreed; the pranks James had shown him could be pure good, and yet he found them very intriguing.

Sirius said goodbye to the Potters, and made his way to Ollivander's, where his mother was already waiting. He rose a hand in greeting, a cheeky grin on his lips.

"How was it?" Walburga asked briskly. Sirius just grinned wider. "_Who_ was it? Hopefully a pureblood?"

"I dunno," replied Sirius, shrugging shoulders. Walburga narrowed her eyes. "James Potter."

"_Potter_," she hissed, dark eyes narrowing even more. "Well, at least they're purebloods. You won't see him much in Slytherin, anyways."

"Mum, I don't want-"

"Come," Walburga interrupted, eyes flashing. "You need a wand."

Sirius was silent while trying out each wand. His mother was obviously not happy with his friendship with James, nor his refusal to be Slytherin. He hoped each wand was the one, just for the sake of getting home and avoiding his mother for a while. At last, Sirius got a result; when he waved the wand, a magnificent shower of red and gold sparks erupted from the tip- Gryffindor colors, he noted with pleasure. Walburga had noticed as well, as her lips thinned and her eyes narrowed again.

All in all, Sirius was very happy to return to Grimmauld Place at six. Regulus had eagerly begged to go flying, but settled for a game of Exploding Snap upstairs.

He'd made up his mind on what house he wanted to be in- Gryffindor seemed even more appealing after Orion had said the Potters had been Gryffindor for ages. But no matter what house Sirius ended up in, he hoped he could still be James's friend.

**A/N: Hello again! I'm alive! And updated! And James is here! And I'm using too many exclamation marks! I don't own Harry Potter... but, still, I own my imagination! Read and review! :)**


	3. Hogwarts Express

"Mum! Mum, get up, get up, Hogwarts!" Sirius shouted. September first had finally arrived, and he was eager to get to Hogwarts and be away from the darkness of his house. "Dad! Hogwarts!"

"GO BACK TO BED, SIRIUS!" Orion's voice came in reply. Sirius pouted for a second, before racing down the stairs, and sitting down at the table.

"Kreacher!"

"Yes, Master Sirius?" Kreacher appeared with a popped, smiling at Sirius. Most magical creatures liked him. Angels were magical creatures themselves, after all.

"D'you think I could have some breakfast?" Sirius asked kindly. Kreacher beamed, and nodded, popping away once more. Seconds later, he showed up again, a platter of blueberry pancakes in his hands.

"Here you are, Master Sirius, your favorite," said Kreacher kindly. Sirius grinned. "Will you be needing anything else?"

"Some company, perhaps," Sirius laughed, pulling out a chair. "Take a seat, Kreach. Thanks for the pancakes- and I've _told_ you, it's just Sirius."

"Master Sirius is so good and kind," Kreacher exclaimed, sitting down. "It is such an honor for Kreacher to serve Master Sirius! _Such an honor_!"

"And," Sirius smiled, putting a hand on the house-elf's back. "It is an _honor_ to have such a wonderful house-elf for a friend."

After that statement, Kreacher began bawling and rocking back and forth. "Master Sirius considers Kreacher a _friend_! Kreacher is not worthy!"

"Kreacher…" Sirius rolled his eyes. House-elves were so sensitive. "Honestly, Kreach, you're worthy. Anyways, I'm going to Hogwarts today. Are you going to be alright here?"

"Oh, yes, Master Sirius. Kreacher still has Master Regulus. Master Regulus takes after Master Sirius very much, very much indeed!" Kreacher smiled. "Will Master Sirius be okay without Kreacher?"

"Of course, Kreacher," Sirius nodded. "I'll write to you, kay?"

"Master Sirius is so good! So good, so kind!" Kreacher cried, beaming up at Sirius. Sirius beamed back, and began devouring his pancakes. Several minutes passed, in which Sirius and Kreacher discussed a newborn house-elf named Winky and what the Hogwarts elves were like, until Walburga entered the kitchen. Sirius smiled in greeting as she sat down.

"Kreacher, get me breakfast!" Walburga barked. Kreacher's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, and he bowed lowly, before popping out of the room with a regretful glance at Sirius. "Sirius. You will enjoy Hogwarts. Your cousins can show you around, and Lucius Malfoy will be happy to escort a fellow Slytherin around."

"Mum," Sirius ventured cautiously. "I don't want to be a Slytherin, Mum."

"Nonsense," Walburga snapped. "The entire Black family has been in Slytherin; you will not break the tradition."

"Andromeda did," Sirius pointed out smartly. Walburga's eyes narrowed. "She was a Ravenclaw."

"Yes, well, _Andromeda_," Walburga spat the name out like a curse word. "Is not someone you should look up too. She is the, ahem, white sheep of the Black family."

"Mum, I'm an _angel_," Sirius exclaimed exasperatedly. "I want to be in Gryffindor, or Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw; but what I've seen of this family- all the Dark Arts… I don't like that, Mum."

"Just be quiet and finish eating," Walburga sneered, as Kreacher popped up with her breakfast. "Kreacher, go… clean something."

"Yes, Mistress," Kreacher muttered, once again exchanging a sad look with Sirius. Sirius sagged in his seat, thoroughly depressed by his mother's anger at him.

* * *

Platform Nine and Three Quarters was bustling with young witches and wizards. Sirius looked around in awe; besides his cousins, he never really saw other people. He spotted a sickly looking boy talking to his mum, and a pudgy boy cowering next to a scowling teenage girl. Happily, he spotted James Potter and waved to him. James's face lit up, and he started tugging his mother's sleeve, pointing at Sirius. After a moment of talking to Carol, James rushed over to Sirius.

"Hullo, Sirius!" James greeted cheerfully. Walburga's eyes narrowed. "How are you, mate? I was hoping to see you here! Oh, hi! You must be Sirius's mum! I'm James Potter- me and Sirius are going to be _best_ friends at Hogwarts, right, Sirius?"

"Uh-huh," Sirius said, slightly amazed that someone could take so fast and say so much without stopping to breath. Walburga's eyes flared, and she gripped Sirius's arm tightly, her nails drawing blood. "Ouch! Mum, not so hard!"

"So, Sirius, do you play Quidditch?" James prompted eagerly. "I do; I'm a Chaser! I want to be on the Gryffindor Quidditch team next year! What about you? What house d'you think you'll be in? You look like a Gryffindor, y'know. You're definitely not a Slytherin, no offense, but you're too nice. Anyways, dad says I was born a Gryffindor. Oh! Have you met Frank Longbottom? You'd like him! He's real nice, if not a bit forgetful. What'd'ya say we go meet some new people. How 'bout… that kid, over there! He looks like he could get away from his Mum, she looks a bit overbearing. Well, bye, Mrs. Black!"

With that, James grabbed Sirius's arm and started to yank him away. Walburga kept a firm grasp on his other arm though, and Sirius ended up feeling like he was being torn in half.

"Hey! Hello, being ripped apart here!" Sirius exclaimed. James let go in surprise, and Sirius stumbled backwards. Sirius looked up at his mother. "Er… Mum, can you let go? I've gotta get on the train."

"Sit with your cousins, Sirius," Walburga said sternly, glaring at James, who looked taken aback. "Not with this Muggle-loving scum."

"Excuse me?"

"Mum!"

Walburga let Sirius go, and Sirius quickly waved and raced onto the train, James trailing behind him.

"Sirius! Hey, Sirius! Wait up!"

Sirius stopped, and turned to face James. James grinned at him, and motioned to the compartment. "Wanna sit down. Your mum doesn't seem to like me, eh?"

"Let's sit," Sirius agreed. They opened the door and walked in, sitting across from each other. "My mum's kind of… traditional."

"You still want to be friends with me?" James asked nervously. "I mean- you're my first real friend and all… I'd really hate to lose that. But, it's fine if-"

"No, nonsense!" Sirius exclaimed. "Of course I still want to be friends with you! I don't agree with my mum on a lot of things- especially her opinion of Muggles."

"Good to know," James sighed, smiling in relief. "So, what house do you want?"

"Anything but Slytherin," Sirius declared. "They're too… dark."

"True, very true," James chuckled. "So who are your cousins?"

"Andromeda is the best," Sirius began. "Narcissa is alright. Bellatrix is just evil."

"Hmm…" James leaned back in his seat. "So… play Quidditch?"

"I've never tried," Sirius mused. "I love flying…"

Just not the type of flying James was thinking of.

"I can teach you," James declared confidently. "I'm the best!"

Suddenly, the compartment door slid open and the sickly boy Sirius had seen before poked his head in awkwardly. "Er… could I…?"

"Sit here?" Sirius smiled compassionately, and slid over to give him room. The boy sat down gratefully. Up close, Sirius could easily sense what was wrong with him. He lowered his voice so only the boy could hear. "I'm sorry."

"What!?" The boy looked at Sirius in shock. "Why?"

"Was it Greyback?" Sirius asked softly, so James wouldn't hear. The boy's eyes widened. "How old were you? Does the transformation hurt? I've never met a werewolf before."

"You- how- you-" The boy paused. Then his eyes widened. "Of course! I should of noticed before!"

"So what's your name?" James asked. "I'm James, and this is Sirius."

"Remus, " the boy said softly, still staring at Sirius in awe. "Remus Lupin."

"Hey, Moony, could you quit staring at me like I'm an alien?" Sirius joked. Remus blinked. "Moony? Hello?"

"Moony?" Remus snorted. "Whatever, Wings."

"Wings!?"

"What would you rather me call you?" Remus smirked. "Halo-boy?"

"Hey, that is a horribly misguided rumour!" Sirius retorted. James just looked at them both oddly. "I'd _prefer_ you call me by my first name. 'Sides, 'Moony' is catchier than 'Wings', don't you think, James?"

"A curious nickname," James declared. "But very catchy. Well, Moony, friends?"

"Uh… I don't have any," Re,us mumbled, blushing.

"No, no, no, Rem. Do _you_ want to be _our_ friend?" Sirius elaborated. Remus looked elated, and nodded. "Great! So, Moony, what house do you want to be in?"

"I dunno," Remus shrugged. "I'm just glad to be going."

"Dumbledore's great, isn't he?" Sirius nodded. "Play Quidditch?"

"No."

"What!? Now I've gotta teach you both!?" James cried. "Alright, there are seven players…"

* * *

By the time they'd arrived at Hogwarts, Sirius and Remus already had a thorough understanding of Quidditch. James had explained every player, ball, move, foul, and way to score in Quidditch history. Sirius, though, was sure that flying on wings was _way_ better than flying on a broom.

A giant of a man- Hagrid, was his name?- led them to several boats. James, Remus, and Sirius ended up in a boat with the pudgy boy- he introduced himself as Peter Pettigrew- Sirius had seen at Platform Nine and Three Quarters.

"Alrigh', heads down, ev'rybody," Hagrid called, as they sailed underneath a mossy stone arch. Sirius was too busy looking for Hogwarts to pay him any attention. James shouted a warning two seconds two late and Sirius's head slammed into the rocks. He toppled out of the boat, holding his head. James pulled him back into the boat.

"Didn't you hear Hagrid?" Remus frowned, as Hagrid watched him worriedly. Sirius smiled reassuringly, still rubbing his head. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Sirius shook his head. "I've had worse. This one time, I flew into a tree!"

"A tree?" James laughed. "Nice."

"We're 'ere!" Hagrid announced, as they landed on shore. Sirius grinned up. There was Hogwarts- it was beautiful. It would look even better from the air. They clambered out of the boats, and Hagrid led them up to a pair of large doors, and knocked three times.

**A/N: Hello! I'm alive! Can you believe it!? I must ask- d'you think the nickname 'Wings' should stick, at least until they get their Animagus forms? Hope you enjoyed- I made the Sirius-Kreacher relationship a lot better than it was in the books. Angels are popular around magical creatures. They can sense other magical creatures, and magical creatures can sense them. So, Sirius knows Remus is a werewolf, and Remus knows Sirius is an angel! Read and review! I still don't own Harry Potter!**


	4. The Sorting and Lily Evans

The doors opened. A stern witch stood before them, her ebony hair pulled back into a bun and her lips in a thin line. Her eyes rested on Sirius's soaking, shaking form for a moment before speaking.

"Good evening," she said crisply. "I am Professor McGonagall. When you pass through these doors, you are to be sorted into your houses. During your time here at Hogwarts, you house will be your family. You can earn points for your house by performing well in class and outside of it. You can also lose points, by misbehavior."

Professor McGonagall's eyes rested on James and Sirius, and Sirius could see James's lips twitching upwards out of the corner of his eyes.

"Let us go," McGonagall led them into a grand hall. The ceiling seemed to simply not be there; instead, it reflected the stars and moon. Sirius smiled; he loved flying at night. Sirius glanced at the front of the room, where there was a hat on a stool. To his surprise, it animated and started to sing.

"_Welcome to a new year,_

_Hope you're glad to be here!_

_Hogwarts is the place to be_

_To learn a lot- but, still, study!"_

Remus smiled brightly at this, and Sirius snorted.

"_Maybe you're a Slytherin,_

_With the ambitious and cunning._

_Or maybe you're a Hufflepuff_

_House of friendship and love._

_You could be a Ravenclaw,_

_Brilliance and joy in all._

_But you could also be in Gryffindor,_

_Home of the brave and sure."_

James and Sirius grinned broadly at each other.

"_Just remember, stick together,_

_And you can't go wrong._

_Fight for House Unity,_

_That's why I sing this song."_

There was a thunderous applause, before McGonagall started calling out names, starting with an 'Abers, William'. A few people later-

"Black, Sirius!"

Sirius grinned, and ran eagerly up to the Hat, shoving it on his head.

"An angel, eh?" The hat chuckled. Sirius just smiled wider. "Not too surprised by me, huh? Well, let's see. Definitely not Slytherin, no. You are rather against them, aren't you?"

Definitely.

"Okay, then. You are plenty smart, but you don't seem to be the studious type. Very caring- you'd make a good Hufflepuff…" The hat paused. "But what's this? James Potter? Ah, yes, friendship above all. I see… it'll have to be GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius immediately thanked the hat mentally, took it off, then grinned at James and raced over to the Gryffindor table. He noted that the Hall was silent, save for James, Remus, and Andromeda's cheering. James's face became annoyed.

"Oi!" he shouted into the awkwardness. Sirius felt a blush rise in his cheeks. "Why isn't anyone clapping!?"

This seemed to shake the Hall out of its stupor, and the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors, along many Ravenclaws started clapping and/or cheering. The Slytherins just sneered and glared, but Sirius didn't care, even though he was painfully aware of Bellatrix's and Narcissa's anger towards him. He wondered vaguely what his mother would say as the Sorting continued. Would she be angry?

"Lupin, Remus!" Sirius immediately looked up as his newest friend walked to the stool. He'd be a Gryffindor, too, right? I mean, he _was_ a werewolf, but that doesn't define who you are. He was relieved when the Hat called out, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Remus ran over and sat next to him. Sirius grinned, and patted his friend on the back.

"I knew you'd make it," Sirius whispered. "Bet it almost put you in Ravenclaw."

"It did," Remus chuckled. "Where'd you almost go? Slytherin?"

"No," Sirius feigned horror- which wasn't very hard, because the idea of him in Slytherin was horrific. "No! I was briefly considered for Ravenclaw, then for Hufflepuff."

"You?" Remus choked. "A _Hufflepuff_?"

"Yes," Sirius frowned, mildly annoyed, before grinning again. "Bet you James gets considered for Slytherin."

"That's even less likely than you in Hufflepuff," Remus snorted. "He couldn't be cunning to save his life."

Sure enough, when James's turn came, the Hat was barely on his head before shouting "GRYFFINDOR!", and James came racing over. Unfortunately, he slipped and ran headfirst into the table. Remus and Sirius bother smothered laughs.

"Laugh all you want," grumbled James, rubbing his head. "I'm going to have a headache all day."

The Sorting continued for a while, before McGonagall took the Hat out of the room, and Professor Dumbledore began his speech.

"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" Dumbledore declared merrily. "Now, before we befuddle our minds with food, I'd like to make a few quick announcements. Firstly, the Forbidden Forest is strictly that, forbidden! Mr. Filch, our caretaker, wishing me to remind you that there is no magic in the corridors and that a list of forbidden items is on his door."

Dumbledore paused, smiling serenely.

"Now, the Whomping Willow is strictly off-limits to those who wish to live a long and healthy life," Sirius rose an eyebrow, and Remus looked a bit guilty. "On that note, I will not keep you from you food any longer! Bon appétit!"

"What is that, Italian?" James asked, digging into the food which had just appeared on his plate. Sirius snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Actually, it's French," Remus replied smartly, cutting into his food as well. "You should know, I thought most purebloods knew French?"

"What gave you that idea?" Sirius exclaimed. "For your information, I fully rejected my mother's French teachings, save for maybe a few key words."

"Right, like _you_, the perfect little angel, would do something like that," Remus scoffed. "I don't believe it for a second, Halo-boy."

"Hey! I told you not to call me that!" Sirius pouted. "Wings, if you must, but not Halo-boy. I do not have a halo."

"Sure," Remus teased. "Do you wear a dress?"

"Tunic," Sirius corrected, glaring. "Not a dress. A tunic. James, explain to Remus that I don't have a halo! Or wear a dress!"

"Er… I don't know what you're talking about…" James shrugged. "Can't say I see a halo, but we're all wearing robes. Some people mistake robes as dresses."

"Thank you," Sirius replied smugly, smirking at Remus, who just rolled his eyes. "Hey, Moony, is your tail fluffy, or is it just like a stub?"

"What- I- I don't have a stubby tail!" Remus spluttered. "I don't have a fluffy one either!"

"Than what is it?" Sirius asked innocently. "If I had a tail, I'd want it to be long and fluffy! Like a puppy dog's!"

"Okay, why exactly are we talking about tails?" James frowned, looking quite perplexed. "Can we talk about something normal… like… Quidditch!"

Sirius and Remus groaned.

"How 'bout we tried to make new friends?" Sirius suggested. He caught Peter Pettigrew's eye, and beckoned him over. Peter grinned broadly, picked up his plate, and shuffled over to sit down by Remus. "Hi. Peter, right?"

"Uh-huh!" The boy said eagerly. "You remembered my name! But you guys are like, the cool kids!"

James puffed up, grinning broadly, an Sirius noted his eyes flitting to a redhead down the table. Remus and Sirius exchanged dubious looks.

"Everyone is cool in their own way," Sirius declared. "Except maybe Slytherins."

"Maybe? You mean definitely," James snorted, tearing his eyes away from the redhead. "They're all annoying little snakes. Avoid them, Pete. Avoid them."

"Oh. Okay!" Peter said agreeably. "So, uh… are you guys excited to be here? Play Quidditch?"

Sirius and Remus groaned again.

"Heck yes!" James roared, earning a few glances, before he started talking very fast again. "I'm going to be the Gryffindor Chaser next year. Do you play? What position? Did you know there are over 1700 ways to score a goal, plus roughly 300 that people haven't discovered yet! I think I can discover at least half of them. D'you reckon I could score hanging upside down-"

Sirius drowned out the rest of James's Quidditch talk, chuckling at Peter's bewildered face. Probably hadn't expected James to go into a full blown rant at the mere mention of Quidditch.

"How long do you reckon he can go on?" Remus whispered to him. "My bet is all of dinner."

"Nah, until that redhead, catches his attention again- in fact," Sirius paused, trying for a moment to catch the redhead's eye. Finally, he did, and he beckoned her over as well. "What's your name?"

"I'm Lily Evans," said the redhead, holding out a hand, which Sirius shook. "You're Sirius Black, right? I read somewhere that there hasn't been a Black in Gryffindor for over two hundred years, did you know? I guess that's why nobody clapped at first, until your friend over there encouraged them to."

"Er, yeah, I knew," Sirius replied awkwardly. "Er… so, do you want to sit down? There's a spot next to James."

"Oh! Okay!" Lily said brightly, sitting down next to James, who froze in his rant, turned to see Lily, blushed scarlet, and muttered something incoherent and proceeded to spill his milk down his front. Lily giggled. "Hi there. You're James, right?"

"Er- oh, him," James responded dumbly, still scarlet. "Ah, I mean, yes, I am. Potter James- I mean, Pames Jotter- I mean James Potter!"

Sirius snickered, Remus coughed to hide his laugh, and Peter stared with wide eyes. Lily blinked, and put a hand on James's shoulder, causing him to splutter even more.

"Are you alright?"

"Am I alright? Yes, I'm alright. Great, in fact! Yes, I am wonderful, whatever made you think otherwise," James rambled, his face turning redder and redder by the second. The blush was spreading to his ears now, it seemed. "I am absolutely great, how 'bout you, Lily? Er- I, uh, heard your name in the Sorting and, I mean, I- uh.. Ithinkyou'repretty!"

Sirius nor Remus could contain their laughter any longer; they burst out into full blown cackling. Even Peter was chuckling, and now Lily was blushing.

"Oh, uh… thanks?" Lily replied. James smiled weakly, then proceeded to drop his head into his mashed potatoes. "Uh… James?"

James looked up, mashed potatoes covering his face, and muttered, "Sorry, I'm an idiot."

"She knows that," Remus laughed. "You called yourself Pames Jotter."

James's face went scarlet again.

"It's alright," Lily giggled, wiping some of the mashed potatoes off of James cheek, causing Sirius and Remus to both double over laughing. "It's actually kind of cute."

"Cute?" James squeaked, his entire face red and eyes wide. "I- er- I- thanks? Yes. Thank you, Lily. Miss Evans. Lily. Ah… Lilyflower?"

"Just Lily is fine, James," Lily chuckled, handing James a napkin to wipe his face off with. "So, tell me about yourself?"

Blocking out the rest of their conversation, Sirius turned to Remus. "You see?" I successfully diverted his attention. Peter, a word to the wise, never, ever mention Quidditch to James. Ever."

"Yeah, I'll remember that," Peter nodded. "So, you guys do anything special?"

"He flies-"

"And he howls at the moon."

"I do not!"

"Sure, Moony. Whatever you say."

"Shut it, Wings!"

"Wings? Moony? Those are weird nicknames," Peter declared, before going red himself and shutting his mouth. "Sorry! I didn't insult you, right?"

"Not at all. I personally don't care for my nickname," Sirius replied nonchalantly. "But, if I want to call him Moony, I'm stuck with Wings."

"Hmm… well, I'm full," Peter exclaimed, before looking up. "It looks like the prefects are going to lead us to our common rooms."

"I'll get the lovebirds," Sirius volunteered, before walking around to James and pushing him headfirst into his mashed potatoes again. "We're going to the common room!"

"Sirius!" James cried, while Lily laughed. "That wasn't very nice."

"What can I say, I'm not a very nice boy," Sirius shrugged. Remus snorted. "Oh, shut it, Moony."

"C'mon, James," Lily said, wiping the mashed potatoes off his face with a napkin. "At least there aren't any mashed potatoes in the common room."

"Yes, shame," Remus snickered. "But he'll find another way to humiliate himself. Watch him fall up the stairs on our way there. You'll see."

* * *

Sure enough, James managed to trip, not once, but twice, up the stairs. He also managed to get himself caught in a trick step and stuttered a lot around Lily. By the time they'd made it to the common room, the prefect had labeled him 'accident-prone' and then had muttered under his breath that he'd have to 'tell Madam Pomfrey about this one.'

The common room was a nice place, but hardly airy enough. Sirius's own room at home had had lots of windows, all of which were kept open for most of the time. The boys' dorms, he was glad to find, had windows that he opened immediately, sticking his head outside and breathing in the fresh air.

He chose the bed nearest the window, and James chose the bed next to him, farther from the window (because Sirius and Remus didn't want him somehow falling out in his sleep). Remus slept on the other bed near the window, and Peter on the other side of him.

James had been quite disappointed to part with Lily, but Sirius and Remus had explained that he'd see her in the morning, and needed sleep. Sirius was eager to go flying again, but knew he had to wait until the weekend.

Perhaps he'd visit his relatives tonight, he mused. Elladora Black was nice enough, and though Phineas Nigellus was strict, he knew a few good jokes himself. His namesakes, Sirius Black I and Sirius Black II, liked to learn about him. They'd at least be eager to know his House. Maybe tonight he'd look for some of James's or Remus's of Peter's relatives, and say hi. Maybe even some of Lily's.

Visiting the dead was a lesser known ability of an angel's. Sirius liked to chat with his relatives, and others he'd met. Septimus Weasley was nice, and he'd met Helga Hufflepuff already- she was a bit like a mother, he thought. He didn't visit every night- and he dare not visit too often at Hogwarts. To an outsider, he'd appear 'dead' until he woke up. No, that wouldn't be a good wake-up call for James or Remus or Peter. But… just once… tonight…

Sirius fell asleep before he could even decide.

**A/N: Hullo! I've updated, although I don't know if anyone's reading this story either. N.E. Person, I know **_**you**_** probably are. :) Anyways, as this is AU, the Lily/James starts earlier- but don't worry! They don't start dating 'till like fourth year. They're only eleven! And Siri doesn't get a pairing. There's no mention of a girlfriend in the books, and, well, I don't feel like making an OC. And, yeah, I'm creating a whole new view of 'angels', but, oh well. Hope you enjoyed! Read and review! Until next time.**


	5. Rude Awakenings and Letters from Home

"SIRIUS! REMUS! PETER! GET UP, GET UP!" Sirius groaned, and turned over in his bed. Maybe James thought it prudent to get up at the crack of dawn, but Sirius could do with more much-appreciated shut-eye. His momentary peace didn't last any longer, because as soon as he'd figured James had left, he was soaked with water. He glanced up, pushing his sopping black hair out of his eyes, to see James grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

"Morning," James said cheerfully, before bouncing over to Remus's bed and pouring a bucket of water on him, repeating the cheerful greeting, and completely ignoring the growling that came from the soaking werewolf. Peter didn't get off easy, either, and soon James was the only dry one in the dorm.

"What. The. Heck. James. Potter?" Remus growled, climbing out of his bed and stalking towards a still grinning James. Sirius quickly hopped up and grabbed Remus's arm before he could attack James, which Sirius fully believed he could. "What in the world gave you the bright idea to soak us all at five in the morning!? Breakfast isn't for another _hour_! Now we're soaked!"

"It's a good wake-up call," James replied, still oblivious to Remus's obvious ire. "Anyways, now you'll stay awake! Let's go wake Lily!"

"If you pour water on her, she's going to hate you," Sirius pointed out sensibly. "Besides, boys can't get into the girls' dorms anyway."

"Oh," James pouted for a moment, then perked up again. "So, what d'you wanna do? Exploding Snap? Gobstones? Chess- nah, that's boring. Oh! We could talk about Quidditch! Or- or- or we could jump on the beds! Or have a water fight! Or eat a bunch of candy! Or- or-"

"James, calm down," Sirius laughed. "It's way too early."

"Yes," Remus scowled, wringing out his shirt. "It is."

"Oh! Nice scars, Moony!" James beamed. Sirius face-palmed. You don't just tell a werewolf 'Nice scars', especially when said werewolf was angry with you. Remus's scowl deepened, and he sent Sirius a look that seemed to ask why he couldn't rip him apart.

"Your wolf is showing, Moony," Sirius muttered, smiling slightly. Remus paused, shook his head, and proceeded to ignore James. "Anyway, James, why exactly are you up so early?"

"I couldn't sleep," James replied, bouncing on his heels. "I was up thirty minutes ago. A house elf brought me- me!- coffee! Lots of it! Mum never let me have coffee before, and now I've had coffee!"

Sirius could definitely tell.

"Hey," James frowned suddenly. "Where's Peter?"

Sirius glanced at Peter's bunk. A snore from the lump under the soaking covers indicated Peter was still sleeping. "That kid could probably sleep through a hurricane."

"Huh," James raced out of the room, and Sirius and Remus exchanged uneasy looks. James came back in the room with a bullhorn and more ice water. "OI! PETER, GET UP! WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP!"

Then, he poured the water all over Peter once more. This time he woke up.

"Huh, what!? Where's the fire?" He exclaimed. James beamed, and Sirius and Remus both snickered. Peter looked at his soaking pajamas, bewildered. "Why am I all wet?"

* * *

By the time breakfast came, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were mostly dry, and Remus had finally stopped glaring at James. James was still wearing his stupid grin when he sat down by Lily, who greeted him happily.

"Hello, James," she smiled warmly, and James ended up shoving his eggs into his chin instead of his mouth. "You have egg on your chin."

"Er, yes," James muttered, bright red. He wiped it off with a napkin. "How are you this morning, Lily?"

"Great, thanks!" Lily beamed, before suddenly seeing the rest of us. "Why is your hair all wet?"

"This git," Remus scowled, "thought it was smart to drench us this morning."

"Oh, dear," Lily chuckled. "We're getting our schedules today. We'll probably have all our classes together, right?"

"Uh-huh," James said dumbly, accidentally stabbing his hand with the fork. "ARGH!"

"You okay?" Lily asked worriedly. Sirius and Remus both snickered, and Peter snorted behind his hand. "That must have really hurt."

"Don't worry, he'll be fine," Sirius grinned. "Now, had Moony gotten his hands on him, he'd be a lot worse off."

"Dang right he would," Remus muttered under his breath. "He better hope he doesn't try it again, or so help me I'll rip his big mouth right off his cheeky little face."

"Now, now, Remus, no need to be violent," Sirius sniggered. "Besides, look at him. He looks like he got a sunburn! _And _he stabbed himself with a fork! I think this is punishment enough."

"Yeah, probably," Remus agreed, as James absentmindedly stuck his fork in his pumpkin juice and knocked it over. "How long until she gets annoyed, do you think?"

"Eh, maybe ten more minutes of him ruining his outfit," Sirius shrugged, while Peter snickered. "So, Pete, what's your favorite magical creature?"

"Huh?" Peter looked surprised to be talked to. "Oh! Um… I dunno… maybe a vampire?"

Remus choked on his milk, and Sirius burst out laughing.

"No," Remus shook his head, eyes wide. "No."

"Okay, no," Peter said hurriedly. "Um… then… angels?"

"Haha!" Sirius cheered, sticking his tongue out at Remus. "He likes me better! I'm more popular!"

"Actually, you're second best to the vampire," Remus corrected. "And he's just saying that because he doesn't know any better."

"Huh?"

"Peter, Peter, Peter, don't you see? Werewolves are much better," Remus declared. "Angels are overrated. They're dead! And werewolves are human most of the time. Most of them are completely nice people. Besides, even the guy angels wear dresses, whereas the male werewolves can choose."

"That's kind of sexist, first off," Sirius pouted. "Secondly, angel's are better because they can fly! All werewolves do is howl at the moon. And Remus won't tell me if they have fluffy tails or not."

"Do angels have fluffy wings?" Remus countered. Sirius scowled. "I suppose not."

"Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, Mr. Pettigrew," Sirius glanced upward and smiled. Professor McGonagall smiled back, and handed them each a schedule. Sirius looked over his eagerly. He had Transfiguration first today.

"Do you lot have Transfiguration?" he asked eagerly. Peter nodded happily, and Remus gave him a thumbs up. Then James started pulling on Sirius's sleeve.

"Hey! Me too!" He exclaimed. "And Lily! Be my partner, kay?"

"What about Lily?" Sirius asked curiously. James blushed.

"We have it with the Slytherins," James said, slightly bitterly. "Her best friend is in there. Besides, think of the pranks we can pull on McGonagall!"

"Erm… I can't think of many," Sirius admitted. "She seems like a no nonsense sort of person. Kinda like my mum. And dad. And the rest of my family. And- speak of the devil."

Sirius's parent's owl was swooping towards the table, envelope in hand. It dropped the envelope in front of Sirius, then flew off. Pensively, Sirius opened the envelope.

_Sirius,_

_I understand you have been sorted into Gryffindor. I should have known, you being what you are. Now, you have two choices. Go to the headmaster. Be resorted. Make Slytherin this time. Or, alternatively, you could leave Hogwarts and go to Durmstrang. It is a perfectly respectable school._

_Do not let anyone know what you are. It is a disgrace to have a half-breed Gryffindor in the Black family. Do not associate with blood traitors, Mudbloods, or half-breeds like yourself. Only consort with Slytherins. Bellatrix has offered to take you under her wing. She has plans to join a respectable man named Voldemort after school in his quest to rid the world of Mudbloods. You would do well to do the same._

_I am ashamed to call you my son right now. Be resorted, or leave for Durmstrang, and I will be happy with you again. Consort with Mudbloods and stay Gryffindor, and I fear you may be disowned one day._

_Sincerely,_

_Walburga Black_

Sirius's eyes stung. Remus gently pried the letter out of his hands, and read it over. His eyes flashed golden, and he let out a low growl, passing it to James, who also read it, and scowled.

Sirius bit his lip. How could his mother say that? Why couldn't she accept him for who he was. He was an angel. He was a Gryffindor. She'd have to deal with it. But it hurt, that she would threaten to disown him if he didn't go against his very nature. She was ashamed to call him her son.

Sirius stood up abruptly, and walked out of the room, all the way to the dorms. He sat down on his bed and buried his face in his knees, allowing himself to cry. A few minutes later, the door opened, and Sirius felt someone sit down beside him on the bed and put a comforting hand on his back.

"Sirius?" It was James. Sirius didn't look up, sniffing slightly. Now James had seen him cry. He'd think Sirius was weak. He wouldn't want to be his friend anymore. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Sirius replied weakly. "I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine," James said bluntly. "Sirius, what your mother said to you was wrong. I don't know what she meant by 'what' you are, but I could really care less. You could be a vampire or a werewolf or even a banshee and I wouldn't care. You're my first real friend, y'know? I mean, I knew some other kids. But not really. I know it probably hurts, but I'm sure the hurt will fade with time."

Sirius didn't respond, besides stifling another dry sob.

"My mum always says, 'Never let what others say change your opinion of yourself.' I think she's right," Sirius glanced up at James, who was smiling. "You are a nice boy, who has great friends," James puffed up proudly and winked, earning a chuckle from Sirius. "And, you know what, if you're family is too thick to see what they're missing, I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind taking you in. Mum's always ranting that if I had a sibling I'd be less crazy."

"Maybe you would," Sirius snickered slightly, wiping his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"You've nothing to be sorry about," James replied, eyes sparkling. "Now, what do you say we get to Transfiguration, _little brother_?"

"Hey! I bet I'm older that you!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"And so," Sirius barely noticed Remus appear next to them. "Halo-boy is back to normal."

"I do NOT have a halo!"

**A/N: Hullo all! Thank you, N.E. Person for your review. No one seems to be reviewing this one… Ah, well. Hope you all enjoyed. Reviews much appreciated! **


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